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This reliance on electronic payments means that the Chinese tourist now has an instant payment mechanism and backing infrastructure that works, regardless of country or currency. Chinese consumers have leapfrogged credit cards and have a faster, easier tool on their smartphones.

And then there is the boom in Chinese tourism that is underpinning the overseas expansion of these cashless payment systems. The number of Chinese tourists going abroad has increased every single year for approximately 20 years. Outbound Chinese tourists numbered 122 million last year and spent around $110 billion overseas, according to the Chinese Tourism Academy.

Indeed, as Chinese tourists tend to be better-educated and more affluent than the general population, they enjoy a greater familiarity with foreign brands and exhibit a greater appetite for brand experimentation. As long as you are in Paris, you might as well try a new cosmetics brand or wine label.

Now, merchants and brands around the world have a cost-effective way to start testing their appeal to Chinese consumers. No new equipment or capital expenditure necessary, just allow the consumer to scan your QR code.

Alipay has already signed global agreements with Marriott and Uber. Alipay will be rolling out a partnership with Yelp in NY, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. WeChat Pay has also signed a Las Vegas deal, with Caesars. Among other things, that’s going to mean a lot of trips to the Bacchanal Buffet.

What does this mean for international brands? In a word: opportunity. Every brand or retailer has a chance to put at least a toe in the water of the profitable and growing Chinese tourist market. They’ll need to take three steps to get the process underway:

Develop a Chinese-language translation of your web site, at least the home page. Yes, there’s a bit of an expense involved, but the upside potential is worth it.

Test a six-month digital ad campaign in China. Again, this will cost you something. How much depends on the breadth of the campaign, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. You need to let outbound tourists know before they leave that they can come to you and pay conveniently.

You’ll know pretty quickly and directly how you’re doing by the digital equivalent of your register rings. Oh, and one other thing: You used to ask your customers at checkout, “cash or credit?” Now, you may want to stand in front of the mirror and practice asking, “Alipay or WeChat?”

Frank Lavin is the CEO of Export Now, the leading operator of China e-commerce stores for international brands. He previously worked on China issues in government, finance, and communications.